A Mega Change
by Stephanie Disney
Summary: After the Roxanne/Metroman couple is rejected by the public, a new girl is assigned the part. But Emma Ember has no idea what it takes to be a superhero's girlfriend and Megamind finds himself falling in love, a very bad thing for a supervillain.
1. A Change

The sun was slowly rose over the ocean, sending a traveling plane of orange light up the towers if Metro City. Another day was beginning, people were waking up and the streets were slowly beginning to fill with the sounds of cars and people. On the outskirts, a small school sat, tired looking and faded. It faced away from the sun, casting a dark shadow over the rolling grass.

A white van crawled its way through the grass, stopping outside the schoolhouse. A man, dressed in a snappy suit, stepped out if the car, adjusting his tie and walking up to the door, knocking firmly. He waiting for a moment before the door opened. A tall man with a strong jaw and gold eyes opened the door. The man in the suit smiled.

"Good morning Metroman!" he said with false friendliness. Metroman yawned, looking irritated, dressed in a fuzzy white robe.

"Honestly Herman, it's early! There haven't been any robberies, kidnappings, heck, Megamind isn't even up yet!" he said. Herman pushed his sunglasses down his nose, looking up at Metroman.

"I'm here on public business." He said. Metroman opened the door wider, irritated look turning to one of boredom.

"Of course you are, why else would my agent be here?" he said. Herman walked in, inspecting all of Metroman's paintings and souvenirs from his battles with Megamind. Herman sat down on the white couch, crossing his legs and brushing himself off. Metroman walked into the kitchen, pulling a sandwich out of the fridge.

"So what can I do for you Herman?" he asked. Herman pulled out a notebook; a sign that whatever he was about to say was 'important'.

"I'm here about your appearance to the public." He said. Metroman laughed, walking back into the man room.

"Really Herman, everyone knows I look great!" he said, sitting down across from him, taking a huge bit out of his sandwich. It was true. Metroman had dark hair and a handsome face. Not to mention that he was incredibly tall and muscular. Herman cleared his throat.

"It isn't your look Metroman, no one would send me here about that!" he said, rolling his eyes. Luckily, he was wearing sunglasses. "But what the public is having trouble adjusting to is your 'arm candy'." He said. He pulled out a picture of Roxanne and pointed his pen at her face. Metroman shrugged.

"What about her? Everyone says that we make a great couple!" he said, swallowing half of his sandwich. Herman wondered if Metroman agreed with that statement or not, but he didn't bother to answer. He knew not to ask questions about him, not because his secret identity was in jeopardy, no, because Herman didn't want to be stuck there listening to Metroman talk about himself for hours on end.

"Yes," Herman said, putting the photo back into its folder. "They did. But she has become immune to Megamind's captures! She's boring to the public and the chemistry between the two of you is gone. It is getting old! We need a new girl for you, someone to shake things up!" he said. Metroman rubbed his chin, looking up at the roof.

"Someone new would be nice." He said, grinning to himself.

"Exactly," Herman said, "And just think what a surprise it will be for Megamind when he finds out that you have a new girl!" Herman said. Metroman let out a laugh.

"That is true! He'll be so confused." He said. He thought for another few moments. "In fact, a new girl would fit in just perfectly." He said. He looked at Herman and shot him one of his smiles. "A right Herman, I'll do it."

"I knew you would say that." He said. Metroman watched as he pulled out a DVD case. "So I brought the audition footage! So you can pick." He said. Metroman took the DVD.

"Audition footage?" he said.

"Of course!" Herman said, "Me and you need to find the right gal for you, someone who was born for the part! As you can guess, tons of women signed up, but only one can be 'the one'!"

"Makes sense." Metroman muttered. "Well, let's take a look!" Metroman popped the DVD into the TV and turned it on. Herman leaned back and took control of the remote. The first girl appeared up on the screen. She had black hair and a beauty mark on her right cheek.

"_I want to be with Metroman so bad you have no idea! I am perfect for the part! I love going horseback riding and oh! I so won't mind getting captured by that blue freak! As long as I get to be with Metroman_!"

Metroman shook his head, and plugged his ears. "Talks too much." He said. That was how most of the morning went, Metro and Herman fast forwarding through hundreds of 'auditions'. There was always something wrong with the girls. They were either too tall or too wide. There was even one that Metroman complained about her voice. Herman, who had been Metroman's agent for a while now, was used to his picky behavior. But some of the choices he was making were silly in Herman's mind. He passed up very beautiful girls, because of one small detail. The morning started to drain away and it wasn't until Herman was about to give up that Metroman shouted, "Wait!" Herman stopped.

"Rewind that last one." He said. Herman obeyed. The girl was very pretty, with long blonde curls and bright blue eyes. She was shy and nervous in her tape. "Turn up the volume; I want to know what she said during the filming." Metroman said eagerly. Herman turned up the volume as the girl's audition began.

"_What's your name?"_ The cameraman asked. The girl blinked into the camera, her eyes twinkling under the lights.

"_Emmaline Ember_." She said. Her voice was very soft. "_But everyone knows me as Emma._" She said.

"_And tell us a little about yourself_." The cameraman said. Emma thought for a moment.

"_There is very little to say I suppose. I just moved to Metro City and I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I heard about Metroman and I was, well, inspired._" Emma smiled self-consciously. "_I'm an artist. My art wasn't selling so I had to move. But I heard about the crime here and I became a criminal artist, the person who draws what the criminal looks like from the victim's memory._" Emma looked down, blushing into the camera. "_Like I said, I'm not sure why I'm auditioning for this. I just thought that it could help me._" She laughed. It was nice laugh, small and clear. "_Sounds silly, but, that's it._" The screen went black and Metroman stood. He pointed to the blank screen.

"That's the girl." He said. Herman wrote something down in his notebook and stood, secretly relieved that he had actually picked someone.

"Very good sir. I shall contact her as soon as possible." Metroman yawned.

"Is Roxanne is okay with this?" he asked, scratching his back. Herman snorted.

"Of course she is. She is the one that suggested it!" he said. Metroman shrugged and waved as Herman walked toward the door.

"I'll see you at the Metroman Museum opening!" he said, grinning. Again, Herman discreetly rolled his eyes.

"Of course sir." He said and closed the door behind him.


	2. Emma

Emma woke up to the sound of traffic outside. The sudden burst of honks made her jump out of bed with a small squeal. She clutched her chest, heart beating rapidly, a cold sweat on her forehead. She still wasn't used to city life yet. The country had been nice and quiet in the mornings. She would wake to the sounds of birds, not cars. Emma pushed her hair out of her face and exhaled, walking over to the small kitchen.

The apartment that she had bought was rather crammed, with only one tiny bathroom which also held her drier and washer. The bed was in the living room, and a small TV was in the corner. Her front door was only a few feet always from her bed, and a tiny window was located to the right of it. It was tiny, which Emma didn't like, but it was better than nothing.

She walked over to the calendar and crossed off another day. Only five more days until the Metroman Museum opened. She had wanted to go ever since she had discovered that Metro City had a superhero. She had yet to hear about the city's supervillain. She tossed the pen on her bed and opened the window, poking her head outside. The city air blew her curls around her face. Her apartment was on the twentieth floor, so she was very high up. At least, if she turned her head, she had a great view of the Museum, which was nearly finished.

The phone from inside the kitchen suddenly let out a high pitch ring, causing Emma to jump, hitting her head on the window. She was jumpy around all the loud noises here. She rubbed her head and shut the window, running into the kitchen and grabbing the phone.

"Emma Ember here, may I ask who is calling?" she asked.

"_Good morning Miss Ember, this is Herman Keller._" Emma paused. She didn't know any 'Herman', but he apparently knew her. This made her a little uneasy. Herman must have read her mind because he added, "_I'm the one that you sent the Metroman audition to._" He explained. Emma blushed.

"Oh!" she said, fumbling with the phone. "Right!" She was still at a loss of why she had sent the video and why this man was calling her.

"_I am calling you to tell you that Metroman has taken a liking to you had has picked you to replace Roxanne._" Emma blinked, mouth open. When she had sent the footage it was like entering a sweepstakes, it was just something to do, something to _try _and win. But that was what came to a shock to her. She had actually _won _this.

"Really?" she said, sitting down on one of the chairs.

"_Really Miss Ember._" Herman said. Emma placed a hand to her forehead and tried to think clearly.

"So," she said, trying to get her bearings. "What does that mean?" She heard Herman sigh on the other side of the phone.

"_It means that you make appearances with him and uh, do whatever comes along with being a superhero's girlfriend._" Herman said, coughing as he did so. He wasn't telling her something, but Emma was not in the position to pester Herman. "_However,_" Herman said sternly, "_We would prefer that you didn't mention your relationship with Metroman. We plan to 'unveil' that particular fact at the Metroman Museum opening._"

Emma nodded her head, and then realized that Herman could not see her. Instead she said, "Is there some kind of…training I go through?" She asked, feeling stupid in doing so." She heard Herman laugh on the other side of the conversation.

"_Miss Ember you are already everything Metroman needs. And you don't need training on looking beautiful. I saw your audition tape._" Emma paused at this compliment which had come out of nowhere. Herman was silent as well, realizing what he had said. He cleared his throat. "_Pardon me, that was, uh,_" he stopped. Emma blushed, not sure how to break the awkward pause. But Herman gratefully did that for her. "_But you will need to go through a briefing about some rules and such,_" he said, clearing his throat. "_Can you meet me at the Metro News station?_" he asked.

"Sure," Emma said.

"_I would say about noon, you should have a lunch break by then._" He said.

"Mmm-hmm." Emma said, rubbing her arms.

"_Until then Miss Ember._" Herman said.

"Good-bye." Emma said. She hung up and let out a lot of air she had been holding in. That was one way to start the morning. She shook herself. She was going to be late if she didn't hurry. She quickly got changed into a pair of jeans and a white pea coat over a blue tank top. She then tied a blue ribbon in her blonde curls. Grabbing a piece of toast Emma smiled at her reflection, blue eyes bright and she headed out the door.

Emma worked at the police station which was a few blocks away. It was a large building with tall, bullet proof windows, filled with offices. She worked near the front in the 'Criminal Recognition Center'. This was where victims would come in with a description of a robber or some other criminal. It was Emma's job to draw these descriptions.

"Morning Mary!" she said, pushing the door to her office open. Mary looked up and smiled.

"Five more days!" she squealed. Emma smiled, sitting down at her desk. Mary was 'Metroman's number one fan'. That was how Emma had heard about the footage contest. Mary had forced her to enter with her. Emma felt guilty about winning, Mary had been so passionate about it.

"We have to go together." Mary said, spinning over to Emma, who was opening her drawers, looking for a new file. Emma bit her lip.

"Well, I'm actually kind of going with someone Mary." She said. Mary, however, did not look discouraged at all.

"Oh my gosh! You have a date!" she shrieked. Emma winced, still smiling.

"Kind of." She said, distracting herself by flipping through her sketch book. Mary jumped up and down, clapping her hands.

"You've only been here and week and you've got a date!" she said. "Please tell me Emma!" she begged, tugging on Emma's coat. "It's someone from the office isn't it!" she said. Emma laughed, pushing Mary off her shoulder.

"No! And I'm not telling you." She said. Mary pouted and was about to open her mouth to protest when Detective Cole walked into the office. Detective Cole was a tall, broad man who always wore his police uniform. He was in charge of Emma and Mary and few others in their section of the office. Mary quickly ran back to her desk under the strict gaze of Detective Cole. He shook his head and turned to Emma.

"Ah, Miss Ember." He said, turning to Emma. "I have a field assignment for you today." Mary gasped.

"You're so lucky!" she whispered. Criminal Artists usually didn't have field jobs at all. Detective Cole shot a glance at Mary that quickly shut her up.

"Anyway," he said. "We have a witness that has a face for you." Emma straightened up.

"Great, what time can he come in?" she asked, opening her schedule.

"Actually, you'll need to go to him." He said. Emma gave him a quizzical look.

"What? Is he an untouchable rich boy?" Mary asked. Detective Cole raised his eyebrows.

"Well, he is untouchable at the moment." He said.

"How?" Emma asked, growing interested.

"He's in jail." He said. Emma's face went pale. Detective Cole smiled. "Did I scare the new girl?" he said. Emma pressed her lips together. She didn't like the idea of going to jail and talking to a criminal, but Cole bullying her seemed worse. Emma stood up and tucked her sketch pad under her arm.

"When can we leave?" She asked. She wasn't going to be scared away.


	3. Metro City Prison

Emma sat in the police car, legs pressed together, hands clenched around her sketchbook. She was obviously nervous; there was no doubt about it. Detective Cole was seated next to her. He seemed amused at Emma's behavior. Emma ignored his stifled chuckles and turned to look out the window. They were in the middle of no where. There was nothing but dead grass and the shadow of Metro City in the distance. The prison however was easy to see, as it was the only thing besides miles of road. The driver pulled up and Emma looked at the grey building. It was extremely large and menacing. Wires crawled along the rims of the fences, pointed and jagged edges preventing any escape.

There were also guards walking along the walls, eyes scanning every inch of the prison. Emma gulped as she climbed out of the car. Cole walked up to the two men at the front door and said a few words to them, which Emma didn't pay any attention to. She was distracted by the court yard filled with men in orange jumpsuits. Their faces and expressions made the hair rise on the back of her neck. She moved a little closer to Detective Cole, shivers creeping up her arms.

They walked inside the building. Emma noticed everything was straight edges, grey ad dark. Even the lights flickered like they did in the movies. They were led past bared cells with men sitting or reading. Some of them were empty. Emma eventually bowed her head as not to see anything she didn't want to. Cole stopped, causing Emma to run into him.

"Here is your man." He said. Emma peaked around Cole's wide shoulders and saw a man with a scruffy beard and piercing brown eyes that looked washed out. He gave Emma a toothy smile. "Well, I leave you to you're 'art'." Cole said.

"Wait," Emma said, catching his arm. "You're not going to leave me here are you?" she asked, terror rising in her voice. Cole pushed Emma off him.

"Listen Ember, there's a line of bars in front of you and him. Just keep your distance and draw." And with this he walked away. He stopped and turned. "I'll be up front. Just come on out when you're done." Emma swallowed a lot of things she had been about to say but exhaled slowly instead.

"So," she said, opening her sketch book. "You were involved in the kidnapping of Charlotte Gertrude." Emma said, not looking directly at the man. "You contacted the police and said that there had been a man who had also tried to kidnap her." Emma stated, thinking that was a stupid move to herself. "I'm here to draw the face that you tell me." She said. There was no reply. She waited; then dared to look up. The man was smiling at her.

"You are very beautiful." He said. Emma felt very uncomfortable.

"The face please," she said, not replying to the comment.

"Charlotte was pretty to." He said thoughtfully. Emma had half a mind to call Cole back into the room but changed her mind at the last minute. She could do this. She leaned forward.

"I am sure she was." She said. "But there was another man who was after Charlotte. Did you see him?" The man nodded. Emma sighed. At least they were actually getting somewhere. She pulled out a pencil.

"Did he have a skinny or a wide face?" she asked.

"Wide." The man answered. Emma drew a basic shape of the head, making it wider down front. She flipped the notebook around.

"Like this?" she asked. The man nodded, leaning forward. Emma turned it back to face her. "Did he have long or short hair?"

"Medium." The man said, leaning even closer to the bars that separated them. Emma nodded her head.

"Dark or light?"

"Dark." It went like this for a while until the face on Emma's paper was almost complete. She was adjusting the nose and flipped it around once again.

"Is this what he looked like?" she asked. The man squinted. Apparently his eyes were giving out on him.

"I'm not sure." He muttered. Emma brought the pad closer. Still the man squinted. Again, Emma leaned forward, but unfortunately, too far. The man's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her forward. Emma gasped, expecting to feel the bars hit her face. But someone suddenly removed the man's hand and pushed her back from danger. Emma saw a tall man push the criminal back so he hit the far wall on his cell.

Emma clutched her wrist, sprawled on the ground, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She knew the man that was standing over her. He was Mary's daily obsession. Metroman helped Emma up, looking at her intently.

"You should be more careful." He said. Emma nodded her hair, blushing and finding that she couldn't speak. It was strange, meeting the man that she was supposed to date. She pushed some hair behind her ear and picked up the sketch pad. Metroman saw the drawing and raised his eyebrows.

"You are very good." He said. Emma held the drawing to her chest.

"Thank you." She said. Metroman nodded his head.

"Walk with me?" he asked. Emma nodded her head again. It was an unusual place to have a conversation with your boyfriend. Emma's face went pale at that thought. This man, this superhero, was her boyfriend now. "I won't blame you for being a little nervous around me." He said. Emma looked up at him. He smiled down at her.

"I'm not." She said. "I'm just…wondering."

"About what?" Metroman asked. They were passing more cells, criminals shrinking away from Metroman. Emma was silent for a moment, fingering her pencil.

"Why me?" she asked, finally asking the question that had been bothering her all morning. Metroman's eyebrows knit themselves together.

"I need someone who actually cares. Not just an act." He said. "And your audition was different. All the other women were fans of me and frankly, I didn't need that stress in my life." He said, laughing. Emma looked down at her feet. Metroman inspected her. "You are new to Metro City aren't you?" Metroman said. Emma laughed lightly.

"How could you tell?" She said. He smiled, stopping and turning to face her. They were standing in front of a large containment unit with a round glass window. Emma would have noticed someone watching them from inside if it wasn't then that Metroman took her hand in his. She felt herself growing very red in the face.

"This might start as a simple relationship." He said. "But I can tell there is something special about you." He said. Emma looked up into his eyes. What she was feelings wasn't love, more of a mixture of surprise that someone would like her this quickly. She had never been in a relationship. Emma blinked, taken aback.

"I will protect you." He said, "I don't want to put you in any danger." He said.

"Thank you." She said, shaking. "I just hope it won't come to that." She said. Metroman nodded.

"So do I." he said. He then lifted himself into the air and flew out of the prison, sending a current of wind around Emma. She watched him vanish and felt suddenly dizzy. She sat down against the metal door to the containment unit and put her head in-between her knees. Something was going on. Something was not right. She rested her head against the door and realized that someone could be in there.

She leapt up, heart beating. She had had too much excitement for one day; she didn't want another criminal encounter. But the room seemed empty. She leaned forward and looked inside. It was a very strange cell. There were paintings all on the walls, bright and happy. There was a TV and a chair. It then occurred to Emma that someone could be sitting in that chair, out of her sight. She walked away and rushed toward the front office, past all the cells.

She ran out, running into Detective Cole. "What on earth Ember!" he snapped. He saw the face on the pad that Emma was holding and grabbed it, eyes wide.

"We know this man." He said, flipping open his cell phone. "Good work Ember." He said. Emma tried to say 'Thank you' but found that she was out of air. She gasped and fanned herself with her pencil which proved very ineffective.

"I'll take you home," Cole said after having a heated conversation on the phone with the Chief of Police. "The cops are on their way to arrest him." He patted Emma on the back. "You did a good service today Ember." He said. Emma just nodded; all she really wanted was to go home. Then she remembered.

"Oh dang it," she muttered. "I actually have a meeting. Could you drop me off there?" she asked. Cole muttered something but in the end, agreed to take Emma to the News Station to meet Herman. Emma was beyond relieved to know that she was leaving that horrible place behind. To her luck, she managed to fall asleep on the car ride back to Metro City.

Cole shook Emma awake when they arrived at the News Station. She rubbed her eyes and murmured a tired thanks to Cole and stumbled into the station. A man in a suit was standing by the front desk. He walked forward when Emma walked into the building and stretched out his hand.

"Miss Ember, I am Herman Keller." He said. Emma shook his hand, still trying to wake up from the car ride nap.

"It's nice to meet you." She said.

"I thought we could talk over coffee in the conference room." He said.

"Sound good." Herman led Emma through the building until they reached an enclosed room with open windows and blinds. She sat down at the table, her stomach rumbling. Herman smiled and took a few donuts from the refreshment table and handed them to Emma, along with a mug of coffee.

"Thank you." She said, eating the donuts and sipping the coffee. Herman sat across from her, looking at her intently. Emma pressed her lips together and avoided his gaze.

"So, why are we meeting here?" she asked, starting her second donut.

"Because this is my only coffee break." A voice said. Emma turned and saw a woman with brown, pixie like hair. Emma recognized her as Roxanne, the reporter that was usually on her television, and consequently, Metroman's old girlfriend.

"Miss Ember," Herman said standing and introducing Roxanne, "Roxanne has agreed to talk to you about what you are undertaking." Emma gulped down a lot of coffee way too fast and started coughing. Herman headed toward the door, anxious look on his face. "Roxanne also wants to be alone with you went she talks to you." Herman said, glaring at Roxanne. She patted him on the shoulder.

"Herman's just one of those guys that has to know everything." She said, rolling her eyes. "And anyway, this is girl talk Herman, last I checked, you weren't a girl." Herman pursed his lips and looked back at Emma.

"I'll be back to talk to you after Roxanne is done." He said. Emma nodded and Herman left, shutting the door after him. When Roxanne was sure that he was gone, she sat down next to Emma and smiled.

"Herman doesn't want me telling you this," she said, "but I can tell that you're nervous about this and I want to reassure you." She said. So far, Roxanne wasn't reassuring Emma at all, just making her more and more nervous. Roxanne put her hand on Emma's shoulder. "No matter what happens, Metroman will always be there." She said. "Trust me. I've been kidnapped thousands of times." Emma's eyes grew wide.

"You've been kidnapped for being Metroman's girlfriend?" she asked, horror spreading over her face. Roxanne laughed at her expression.

"More than you know, but Metroman was always there for me. I'm mean; it's like having a superhero body guard." She said. "It's been the same routine for years." She said rolling her eyes. "I guess that's why I asked someone else to take the job." She said.

"You're the one who made the contest?" Emma said, surprised. Roxanne nodded her head.

"I want to report the news, not be the news." She said. "I've gotten bored of it. And so has the public, according to Herman, maybe even Metroman. He was just there to rescue me." She said. Emma thought back to the scene with her and Metroman in the prison.

"So, you are saying that Metroman doesn't care?" she said, heart falling. It was an act, but why in a prison? Or was there an audience she didn't know about? Roxanne shook her head.

"No! He cares! He cares about the welfare of the city. I'm not sure that he will ever have time for a real relationship, but the public wants that for him. I want that for him." She looked directly at Emma. "He is the savior of our city Emma." She said. Emma listened, noticing how much Roxanne respected Metroman; she just didn't want to date him was all. Emma clutched her coffee cup.

"I'm not sure if I can do this." She said, heart beating at a rapid pace. Roxanne smiled kindly.

"And that's why I'm here." She said. "Like I said, you really don't have to do anything. You will never really be in danger while Metroman in watching over you. Not with some of the dimwit supervillains around here." She added with a laugh. Emma blinked.

"Um, I'm sorry, did you say 'supervillain'?" she asked. Roxanne gave her a confused look; then her face became angry and surprised.

"You don't know about,"

"Roxanne!" Both of the girls turned to find Herman at the door. Herman and Roxanne were glaring at each other.

"You haven't told her about,"

"Roxanne! Please." He said. Roxanne's face turned dark.

"Herman,"

"Just hear me out." He said. Roxanne looked back at Emma who was watching them with confusion. She sighed.

"All right Herman." She said. They both walked out of the room and Emma saw their heated conversation outside, through the large glass window to the hall. She looked down at her hands, trying to make out what was going on. After a while, Herman walked back into the room.

"Where's Roxanne?" Emma asked as Herman sat down. Herman straightened his suit and his tie.

"She had a meeting." He said, avoiding her eyes. "But I think that it's is time I told you a few rules." He said. Emma sat up straighter, hands in her lap, ears open. "As I have said before, no one knows of your relationship with Metroman." Herman said. "And we intend to keep it that way until the Museum Opening. Now, I don't want you to panic when Roxanne comes up to confront Metroman and you." He said. Emma blinked, confused.

"I'm not following." She said. Herman ran his fingers together.

"We need the public to believe you and Metroman's relationship and therefore, we need them to believe his break up with Roxanne over you." He said. "Everything is fake or staged." Emma nodded, but she was still finding herself rearing back from all of this. She looked at Herman, her head swimming through all the things that she wanted to say.

"I'm not sure about all of this." She said standing up. A look of worry flashed across Herman's sunglasses, which he was wearing indoors for some reason. He quickly stood up.

"You can't back out now." He said, frantically trying to keep his head. "Emma, everyone is depending on someone to make Metroman happy in a relationship."

"But you said it was all fake." She said.

"Yes, but we are all hoping it may grow into something bigger." He said, walking up to Emma. "Emma, I know we are asking a lot of you, but Metroman has very little time for any real relationship," Herman said, "But if you learn to love him, maybe he will to." Emma backed away.

"I'm not liking this." She said, wrapping her arms around herself defensively. Herman advanced on her.

"Before you go, let me just tell you that if you back out, Metroman will have to pick another girl, but he picked you and you alone, anyone else would not pull this off, and would very likely never make him happy." Herman said, intense look in his eyes. "We owe so much to him, and you are our chance. Just think about that." Emma looked at Herman with wide eyes; then quickly walked out of the room, guilt and a sense that nothing would ever be the same settling in on her.


	4. Metro Makeover

The day of the Museum Opening finally came, after what seemed like forever. Emma would have happily slept in but was woken by her phone ringing. She crawled out of bed and plucked the plastic annoyance off the kitchen wall. She didn't even have to say hello for Mary to start screaming.

"_Oh my gosh! It's today! Emma! Holy crap!"_ Emma held the receiver away from her ear, groaning. She didn't want to deal with all this at the moment. She looked at the clock on her wall.

"Mary, it's seven. The Museum doesn't opening in another five hours." She whispered, still not quiet awake.

"_Yes but if we want a good place we need to get there earlier!"_ Mary said as if it was the simplest thing to do. Emma swayed where she was standing, eyes drooping.

"I don't think that will be a problem." She muttered, wiping her eyes. Mary giggled.

"_Right! You have a date! Well, that won't be a problem for me. I have one to!"_ she said.

"That's wonderful Mary." Emma said, sitting down. A beeping came from her phone and she saw that she had another call. "Hold on Mary." She said. She pressed another button and said, "Hello," in the most 'awake' voice she could.

"Ah, Emma, you're awake." Herman's voice said. Emma held the receiver away from her, horror on her face. Herman expected an answer, she knew it. But she had spent the past five days trying _not_ to the think about the decision she had to make. Gulping, Emma brought the phone back to her ear.

"Hello Herman." She said.

"_Do you have an answer for me?_" he asked. Emma bit her lip. She thought about everything Herman had said, and Roxanne. She would be safe and this shouldn't take up that much time. Not to mention she would be helping the city by helping Metroman, wouldn't she? She scraped her nails against the plastic and exhaled.

"Yes," she said to Herman. That was enough to make Herman sound a lot happier.

"_Wonderful! I'll be at your house with a few troops to get you ready."_

"Troops?" Emma repeated, thinking about the FBI and SWAT teams. But before she could demand what he meant, Herman had hung up. She let out a frustrated breath.

"I'm going to need to call you back Mary." She said and hung up the phone. Emma walked back to her bed and flopped down on the covers and was asleep before she could wonder when Herman was going to get there.

What seemed like seconds later, the door bell rang. Emma jumped up and ran to the door, still half asleep. She yanked open the door to find Herman in his usual suit and sunglasses. He looked Emma up and down. Emma suddenly realized that she was in a tank top and sweat pants.

"Good morning Miss Ember." Herman said. "I take it that you are ready to go?" he asked. Emma blinked.

"Well, I need to get dressed,"

"No need for that," Herman said, waving a hand. "We will take care of that."

"We?" Emma said, put Herman had her by the arm and was leading her down the stairs, closing her apartment door for her.

"I have everyone that you will need down in the van." He said.

"Uh, alright." Emma said, following Herman down to the lobby and out to the street. Herman released her and opened the van which was dark.

"Come on." He said impatiently. Emma was starring at the van, confused look on her face. "We need to get you ready." He said, tapping his dress shoed foot. Emma hesitantly climbed into the van and Herman closed the door behind her. It was extremely dark inside and Emma had both of her hands extended, trying to find her way to where she thought a seat might be. Suddenly, the van was filled with light. Emma was surprised to find that it was a lot bigger inside than it looked outside.

Everything was painted black and there were three people sitting in cushioned seats in front of her. One was a woman with red lips and wavy brown hair. She held a make-up kit in her lap. She kept on inspecting Emma's face, lips pursed.

The other two were men. One with black spiky hair and an Asian look about him. The other was bald with icy blue eyes.

"Meet the three people who will make you presentable." Herman's voice said. Emma looked up and saw a small speaker that was probably operated from the front of the car. "Just let them work their magic and you'll be ready of the Opening." Emma opened her mouth, wondering how they were going to do this in the back of a van, but the bald man was already swooping down on her.

Everything was a blur as she saw flashes of blue silk and black ribbon. Before her was a beautiful electric blue dress with black lining. It was small and only went down to Emma middle thigh with thick straps on the shoulders. The three figures pulled a sheet across the van so Emma was separated from them so she could change. There is nothing harder than trying to get a dress on in the back on the van. But Emma managed to do it with record timing. She felt restricted in the dress but there was very little time for comment.

She was seated and the woman came down on her face with brushes and cream colored liquids. At the same time the other man was pulling on her hair. It was then that Emma realized that the van was driving. She was nervous that the makeup artist would let slip with the lip stick and Emma would walk out looking like the Joker. No one talked but Emma felt like there should be some sort of club music playing as if the run way was waiting for her. Suddenly the van stopped. She felt a few minor adjustments to her hair and a mirror was placed in front of her face.

Emma blinked. She looked amazing. Her makeup was light but with silver eyes shadow that made her blue eyes look steely. The hair artist had curled her hair to perfection and had let it down. Emma was so used to having her hair at least half way up she was caught off guard that she could look like this. The woman added some sapphire earrings and a ring of black pearls across her neck. She was given some black high heels and the van door opened.

The light of day seemed to burn Emma's eyes for a moment then she saw Herman standing at the van door. He blinked as Emma immerged.

"You look…" he trailed off then cleared his throat. Emma gave him a shy smile and turned back to the masterminds in the van.

"Thank you." She said. The artists looked taken-a-back. It was as if they had never been thanked before. Emma walked with Herman and she saw the huge crowd surrounding the Museum.

"Well, I will leave you to it." Herman said. Emma rounded on him, catching his arm.

"What? You're leaving me here? Alone?" she asked, panicking. What was she supposed to do? Herman laughed.

"Emma, it really isn't that complicated. Just go up to Metroman when you see him." He said. But to Emma that really didn't seem that easy. There were the crowds and the cameras that would all be focused on her, but Herman was already in the van. "Good luck Emma." He said. Emma opened her mouth but the van and Herman where already driving off.

She stomped her foot in frustration which sent her wobbling. She had never worn heels before. She turned around in a 360, trying to get her bearings. The crowd was cheering and calling for Metroman. Emma made her way through the crowd, pulling the rim of her dress down, feeling exposed. She then saw someone she knew.

Roxanne was standing in front of a camera, talking into a microphone. Emma made her way to her, moving at a very slow pace as not to fall over. Roxanne spotted her and finished signing off.

"Emma! You look wonderful!" she said, rushing forward. They hugged.

"Thank you." Emma said, swaying. Roxanne laughed.

"You'll get used to the shoes." She said. Emma smiled. She then saw a fat red head standing behind Roxanne holding the camera. He was scrutinizing Emma, making her feel uncomfortable. Roxanne noticed where Emma was looking and turned to see the man.

"Oh! This is my camera man, Hal." She said. Emma smiled.

"Hello." Emma said, waving shyly. Hal smiled back, apparently lost for words. Roxanne cleared her throat, catching Emma's attention.

"Well, I need to go get ready for the main event! I'll see you soon!" she said. Emma waved, not happy about being left alone again. Roxanne and Hal made there way away, Emma turned, trying to find something to do. But right as she turned she saw something very strange. A window, sitting in the middle of the air. Emma blinked. She walked forward and leaned forward.

It was like a portal to another dimension or something. Emma was wondering if she was hallucinating from lack of sleep when she suddenly found something being sprayed in her face. She suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe and she fainted, feeling herself being pulled into the small window, everything going black.


	5. Kidnapped

Emma slowly came to, her head feeling thick and dizzy. She blinked seeing nothing. She was somewhere dark. She remembered being pulled and fainting. Suddenly she was wide awake. It was hard to breath. She wanted to raise her hand to her eyes and see how far she could see but she found herself tied up. Emma started gasping for breath. Something was over her head. She kept her mouth shut, terrified. She could hear voices around her, talking.

"Really! So rude! I had to change all my plans for a new girlfriend! He could have at least introduced her to the press!" Emma was trying not to hyperventilate. Roxanne had said that she had been kidnapped for being Metroman's girlfriend, but Emma didn't know what it was like to be kidnapped. She tested her wrists, seeing if the knots could be loosened, but there were painfully tight.

"Well, he did speak to her in front of your cell. That was considerate of him!" Emma listened. They were talking about Metroman and her at the prison. The criminals in their cells came back to Emma's mind. She pulled harder on the unseen ropes, tears welling up in her eyes. Whatever was over her head was making it hard for her to breath.

"Yes Minion but it was a silly way to give me a hint. But, I forgive him. This plan is full proof!" Emma tugged harder on the ropes so hard they cut into her hands. She gasped. The two voices stopped. Emma held her breath, her hands burning against her bonds. "She's awake! Time for my revenge! Places!" Emma's heart rammed around in her chest. What were they going to do to her? She could see horrible knives and torture devices in her head. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Roxanne said that Metroman would come, but she was having huge doubts.

The bag, the thing that was covering her head, flew off. Emma blinked as the unnatural light came to her eyes. She squinted, breathing heavily, terror seizing her. She blinked a few more times and saw she was in a dome like building with buttons and screens. She saw a chair in front of her, large and black. There was a mechanical sound from her left and Emma turned to see a huge robotic gorilla with a fish as a head. It was so bizarre, so unexpected, Emma let out a scream of shock. The thing, whatever it was jumped high in the air, startled by her reaction.

"Wow!" Emma turned to see the chair had turned around. The man sitting in it was beyond anything Emma could have imagined. His head was large and his skin was a color of electric blue. He wore a black and blue get-up that seemed to match Emma's dress for some odd reason. His large green eyes were wide as Emma starred in shock. "Now _that_ was a scream!" he said. Emma blinked, confused. He cleared his throat and lunged forward.

"So, we finally meet, Miss Ember." He said, voice low, eyes boring into hers. Emma closed her eyes, trying not to look back at him. He let out a laugh that climbed in tone. "Metroman tried to keep you a secret, tried to keep you safe, but he failed!" Emma opened her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. It was true. Metroman hadn't kept her safe. Everything Herman and everyone else said was wrong. The man moved back to the mechanical machine called 'Minion' and whispered, "Why is she crying?" he whispered.

"I believe she is scarred sir." Minion replied. The man looked delighted.

"Really? This is amazing!" He grinned and Emma and spun around her in his chair. Emma could feel him watching her.

"W-who are you?" Emma stuttered. Again the man laughed, sending complicated shivers down Emma's spine.

"I? I am the one who seeks to destroy Metroman, and you my dear, are the key to luring him here! I am Megamind!" He said, belting it out with pride. Emma starred. She had never heard of this person, but the memory of Roxanne mentioning 'supervillians' caused Emma's mouth to drop open in shock. A supervillian. "There really is no sense in screaming." He said, walking around her, "We are much too far away for anyone to hear you." Emma's lip quivered. She was pulling on her ropes again. Then, the thrilling feeling of the ropes slipping made her heart jump. They were coming loose. Emma tugged harder, trying not to squeal in pain.

"Metroman will come." She said, heart beating as she felt the ropes slip a little more. She had to keep his talking. Megamind laughed again.

"That is the whole point! You are new to this aren't you?" he said, smiling wickedly. Emma didn't reply. Her hands were nearly free, but what about her feet. She couldn't hop out of here. "Anyway, I have a question for you." Megamind said, walking around Emma, who stopped tugging at the ropes. "How did you come to meet Metroman? By the way you two talked to each other outside my cell, you seem to care a lot for one another and that just doesn't just happen in one day." _You'd be surprised_, Emma thought. "He has hidden you well."

"I-um, I was drawing a criminal description for the police and I was attacked. He saved me." Emma said, thinking that she sounded stupid. Megamind sat down again, petting a small robot that had shifty, glowing eyes.

"How romantic," Minion said. Emma blinked at the robot/fish. Megamind made noise that said he thought otherwise.

"The hero always gets the girl the same way. Boring!" he said. Emma's hands were on the verge of being free.

"But you wouldn't know a lot about girls now would you?" she said, fear clutching her as she said this. Megamind look hurt. Not in a villainess way, but like a real person. He glared at her.

"I know that they can never be trusted!" he said.

"You're right." Emma said, hands free. Megamind blinked.

"Excuse me?" he voiced. Emma jumped out of her chair, hands clawing at her legs, removing the ropes in record timing. She was free. Both Minion and Megamind were shocked. Emma ran for the door. "Oh my God! She's getting away!" she heard Megamind say, panicking. Emma turned to see him pull a lever and found herself surrounded by a moat, filling with snapping gators. Emma screamed, teetering on the edge of the small island she was left with. She turned to Megamind, horror on her face.

He was plugging his ears, smiling. "Wow, that's never going to get old!" he said. Emma didn't know what to do. She was surrounded by gators and held by a villain with strange things all around her. She was frozen on the spot, afraid of falling to the gators. Under all the pressure and thrill, Emma found herself crying. She clapped her hands over her eyes, shoulders shaking, stuck on a small piece of floor, falling to her knees. She didn't want to be here, she should have to be here. There was silence besides the splashing of the gators. Emma heard a shutting sound and looked up to find the gators gone, the floor back in its place.

She saw Megamind standing over her, shock on his face. Emma wiped her eyes, hiccupping slightly. "Minion, tie her back up." He said. The robot gently took Emma over to the chair and sat her down. It was very quiet as Emma hiccupped and looked down at the floor as her bounds were returned to her wrists, even tighter than before. Something changed in the air and she heard Megamind clear his throat.

"Ready the monitor! We have a message to give to Metroman."


	6. Save Me!

Roxanne looked around the crowd, trying to see if Emma was still here, but she knew already that she was with Megamind. Roxanne clutched at her microphone, anger boiling up. She would kill Herman after this. Emma didn't know what to expect like Roxanne did. She watched Metroman fly around, performing for the crowd. She smiled, but even her hero wasn't enough to make her feel better. She could only imagine what Emma was going through right at that moment.

Roxanne exhaled. Herman had explained to her what she had to do. They needed to make the public understand that Metroman and she were no longer a couple. Of course it was Roxanne who needed to break up with Metroman; they couldn't have the hero dump the girl. All the same, Roxanne found herself just a little bit annoyed. She wasn't the type to throw a fit over the fact that her boyfriend had "fallen in love" with someone else. Then again, she wouldn't really know, she had never had anyone else as a boyfriend besides Metroman.

As Roxanne was thinking, dark clouds were streaming around the Museum, growing darker. It was when the crowd started screaming as Brain Bots appeared out of the crowd, flying around, swooping down over the heads of the citizens, that Roxanne noticed what was going on. Roxanne looked up to see a huge blimp, which was very familiar to her, lifting behind the Museum, making dark clouds cover up the sunny sky.

Roxanne made eye-contact with Metroman who nodded his head. Roxanne ran a hand through her hair. "Turn on the camera Hal." She said. The clouds surrounded the Museum, then, two screens popped up, images of Megamind laughing over the crowd. Of course the crowd started to boo and hiss. Metroman flew up to the screens, the microphone "luckily" in his hand so everyone could hear him. Roxanne straightened her dress as Megamind and Metroman exchanged their usual banter. Then, came the moment that Roxanne had been dreading all day.

"But good luck, rescuing your precious Emma!" Then, on one of the screens came up Emma. Roxanne's heart nearly broke. The look of terror on Emma's face was horrible. Tears were running down her cheeks and her eyes looked into the camera, begging, pleading. The crowd, also moved by this pitiful image, was very much confused. Emma? Who was Emma? What about Roxanne? Roxanne held her breath, and then ran up, microphone in her hand. Time to get this over with.

"Who is she?" she demanded, microphone up to her mouth. Both the giant Megamind and Metroman looked down at her. Metroman's face was very sad. Man, he sure knew how to work a crowd. Roxanne glared at Metroman. She pointed at Emma. "Who is she?" she demanded. Megamind let out a giggle.

"Oh, this is too good! You don't mean to say that Metroman never told you about Miss Ember?" he said. He laughed loudly. "This is great!" Roxanne glared at Metroman who spoke into the microphone.

"I'm sorry Roxanne, but…I love Emma." The crowd let out a gasp. Emma's face on the screen looked shocked. She gazed at Metroman, not sure how to respond to this. Roxanne willed tears to come to her eyes.

"How could you?" she yelled. Metroman bowed his head.

"I am sorry." He said. Megamind was pretending to snore, face pressed against his hand.

"This is suddenly very boring! Well, Metroman, I hope you learn from your mistakes with falling in love with more than one woman. Now! I will make you a deal, you leave Metrawcity and I will promise not to hurt your precious little artist here." Metroman turned away from Roxanne and looked at the screen.

"Never!" Megamind sighed.

"Okay, your mistake." He said. Emma suddenly let out a scream as spinning blades suddenly lowered themselves towards her head. The crowd gasped, crying out. They had never seen such a reaction before. Emma screamed louder in terror, tugging against her ropes. Metroman looked extremely distressed. Roxanne wondered if he too was concerned by Emma's inexperience. Megamind let out a laugh.

"Emma!" Metroman cried. Emma's eyes found Metroman, tears running down from her eyes. "Where are you?" he asked. Emma looked around, gasping for breath.

"T-There's a b-big telescope." She said, lifting her voice over the sound of the spinning blades. Roxanne ran forward again.

"They're at the observatory!" she yelled. She didn't care if Herman would give her crap about this. She just wanted Metroman to hurry up and save poor Emma. Megamind gave out a panicked yelp.

"Don't listen to her, she's crazy! She's your ex for Pete's sake!" he said, scrambling at the controls. But Metroman was already flying out of the clouds, throwing his microphone to the ground. Roxanne exhaled.

"It's okay Emma, you'll be okay." She whispered. But even then, she wasn't too sure.


	7. Never Saved, Just Released

Emma watched as Metroman flew out of the screen. The blades stopped spinning, allowing Emma to breathe a little before panicking once again. _It's okay, he's coming. _But even as she thought this, Emma began to watch Megamind with a greater fear. He was whispering to Minion in a hushed voice, smile on his face. Emma's lip quivered. Megamind looked over at her. He slid over to her, cape swishing dramatically.

"So, while we are waiting for Metroman, why don't we get to know each other?" he said. Emma's eyes flickered to the camera filming them. He wanted to tease her and everyone watching. Emma kept her mouth shut. Megamind shrugged. "Very well, I'll start." He said, walking around her. "I enjoy blowing things and people up, I am very smart, enjoy long walks to and from prisons (which I need to break a habit of), and my favorite color is blue." He whirled around, face close to hers. "Your turn." He said, grinning. Emma gulped, trying to calm down; awaiting the man who said loved her.

"I enjoy drawing criminals such as you, I am not much of a talker, I enjoy horseback riding and my favorite color is blue as well." She said, looking his right in the eyes. Megamind clapped his hands together.

"Very good! I was wondering if all you did was scream, not that I don't love that." Megamind suddenly looked surprised, pointing to his watch. "Oh my! We had a whole 'prisoner-to-Super Villain' chat and yet Metroman still isn't here!" Megamind suddenly pressed another one of his many buttons, and their screen turned to one with Metroman, standing in an observatory that looked just like the one that they were in, minus the buttons and computers. Emma blinked, confused. Metroman himself looked confused as well, as did the crowd.

"Oh, you all didn't think we were in the real observatory did you?" Megamind said. Emma's eyes shot to Metroman, who glared at the projection of Megamind. Emma looked around for something that could help, but again, her bonds were too tight. They exchanged a playful banter which Emma didn't understand at all. Finally, what Emma had been waiting for, Megamind finally shouted, "Fire!" Emma had heard the mention of some kind of ray, which was probably what he was referring to.

Emma closed her eyes. There was a very awkward silence. Emma opened one eye to see everyone frozen. Megamind was pointing to Minion, Metroman was looking at Megamind with a kind of pity and the crowd was starting to smile. Emma opened her eyes all the way to find that nothing had happened. Megamind's shoulders slumped in a kind of defeat and he walked over to Minion.

"Minion? Why isn't the ray firing?" he whispered. Minion pointed the screen.

"It's warming up Sir." He said, indicating the bar that was loading.

"The Sun Ray is warming up?" he repeated, slapping his hands to his face. Emma bit her lip, laughing. Megamind turned on her, irritated look on his face.

"Your laughter is not needed at the moment!" he shouted. Emma clamped her mouth shut. Megamind turned back to Minion, shoulders hunched. Emma turned her attention to the screen with Metroman. He was flying around the dome, hitting the walls, distressed look on her face. Emma tilted her head, trying to figure out what was going on.

He was saying a lot of random stuff that Emma couldn't understand. Finally, Megamind seemed to notice what was going on. He and Minion turned her heads to the screen, watching Metroman bounce around.

"Uh, is there a problem?" he asked. Emma's eyes flickered to the bar on the computer. It was nearly full. Metroman gasped for air.

"You evil genius!" Metroman gasped. "How did you know?"

"Uh," Megamind looked over his shoulder at Minion who shrugged.

"This dome is lined with copper!"

"Ya?" Megamind said, looking around the dome.

"Copper is my only weakness!" The crowd on the other monitor gasped, and a worried murmur spread through them. Emma could tell the copper had been a complete accident because Megamind did not look like he did this on purpose at all.

"Copper, seriously?" he asked. Emma turned her face back toward the computer and the bar finished loading.

"Metroman!" she screamed. Megamind turned on her, irritated.

"Okay, I love the screaming, but not at this particular moment." But Minion also saw the bar and pointed.

"Sir!" he shouted.

"Will everyone just stop yelling at me?" And at that moment, the observatory exploded. Emma sat frozen, watching the screen with Metroman flicker and go off. They all turned at the open slit in the fake observatory and saw the ruble explode into pieces on the cliff where the observatory had been. A orange and yellow fire ball shot up into the air and pieces of metal and wood went flying in all directions.

Emma's eyes widen at the sight of it all. Megamind was stand beside her, green eyes wide, mouth open. Minion was also staring, along with everyone else in the crowd located not far away. Everyone had stopped breathing. Then, a small object shot out of the cloud. Emma exhaled. Megamind's shoulders slumped.

"Great, and I really thought," his sentence was cut off as Metroman rammed into him, sending him to the floor. "Oh my God! I'm sorry! Don't hurt me!" But there was no fighting, no laughing, Metroman didn't even get up. Emma stared at the white costume. Megamind pulled the cap away to find a skeleton in Metroman's place. He let out a squeal, and jumped away. Emma just looked at the fallen hero.

"You…did it sir." Minion whispered. Megamind was also staring at the skeleton.

"I…did it." Emma's whole body was frozen in shock. They had said he would save her, they had said he always won; they had said he was invincible. Emma found herself crying silently, closing her eyes and trying to shut everything out. Megamind turned his attention to her for a moment.

"Take her back Minion, we won't be needing her anymore." But before Minion slipped the bag over her head, Emma looked at Megamind with such sadness and hurt, his expression changed, and his green eyes didn't leave the pain-stricken blue ones until the bag came between them, and Emma could see no more.


	8. City Hall Brawl

Emma opened her eyes. She was looking up at her roof, the same roof she had seen that morning. She was relaxed, as if she had woken from an ordinary sleep. It took a few moments for her to remember what had happened. She opened her mouth, heart ramming in her chest. She sat up. She was still dressed in the blue dress, a sure sign that it hadn't been some awful nightmare. She leapt from the bed, tripping over her laundry pile that was set next to her bed. She squealed as she tumbled forward to the window. Grasping it and throwing it up with a loud bang, she stuck her head out of the window to look out into the city.

It was dark, maybe eleven o'clock at night. It was silent; no cars, no people stalking the streets. Emma turned her head to look at the museum which was dark. Emma's hair tossed in the wind as she inspected the ground again. It was a deathly quiet, the kind that made you think your heart beating was like thunder rumbling in the sky. Emma pulled herself into her apartment and ran to the TV, switching it on. All there was only static.

Switching it off, Emma curled up on her bed, arms wrapped around her, closing her eyes tightly. The city was dead, scarred and terrified. She pulled the covers around herself, trying to warm herself up. A cold wind blew through the window, making Emma shiver. She really didn't know how long after it was that she heard music coming from the streets. She opened her eyes slowly, wondering if it was all in her mind. But as it got louder, Emma got up and moved toward the window again. Brain bots (as Emma found out they were called) filled the street, sending a blue glow that lit up the black roads and crept up the buildings.

Emma ran back to her bed and pulled her comforter off the bed, wrapping it around herself and she flew out her door, not bothering to close it after her. When she managed to reach the lobby, she stopped at the door, watching wide-eyed as the parade of Bain-Bots flew past. Emma quickly opened the door and ran to the nearest ally. She peered around the corner, breathing heavily as she followed the flow of Bots.

_They're heading towards Town Hall, _Emma thought. She hadn't been in the city long, but she knew her way around. She ran down 40th, trying to find the quickest way to get to Town Hall without running into the Bots. She could hear the voices of Megamind and Minion echoing through the streets. Fear and anger struck Emma in the chest. She had to keep herself from running away from Town Hall, but it came into her sight before she actually had the guts to turn back. There was a long line of police men lined up in front of Town Hall, gates baring the way. Emma looked over her shoulder before running up to the cops.

"Ember!" Emma jumped; finding Detective Cole running towards her, hand on his holster. "What the hell do you think you are doing here?" he snapped. Emma opened her mouth, but Cole didn't let her answer. "Get behind the fence." Emma obeyed, jumped over the line, clutching her comforter so it didn't slip off. It was hard to maneuver in her dress. Emma mentally wished she had changed before she left. The music Emma had been hearing was at its climax and smoke suddenly appeared in one puff.

The police lined up, loading their guns. Cole pushed Emma behind with the News Crew. Emma quickly hid, peeking over the camera to see lights flashing. It was like some kind of Laser Light show. They flashed through the smoke, forming shapes and making a blue head.

Emma found herself smiling, and quickly stopped. She was being watched by a few of the crew who gave her looks of disgust. Megamind, with an army of Brain Bots, came skipping into view, wearing his black and blue outfit. He was laughing with joy, like a child at Christmas. Emma, again, was shocked by this "supervillians" behavior.

"Drop 'em!" he shouted. Emma looked on in horror as the police dropped their weapons. Surely, she thought, they weren't going to give in that easily to such a goofy character? But then again, he had murdered Metroman. Just that thought put Emma in a stage of loathing at the man who skipped up the steps of City Hall. Minion followed, carrying a Boom Box; which explain where the music was coming from. Megamind snatched a microphone from one of the News Crew. He signaled to Minion to cut the music. Minion nodded his fish head and clicked the button. The music awkwardly changed to a slow romantic song.

Megamind gave Minion an irritated look. Minion was desperately pressing as many buttons as he could. Emma giggled. A few cops, including Cole, glared at her. Emma quickly stopped, but she couldn't help by hid her grin under the comforter. Megamind cleared his throat (Minion smashing the Boom Box) and smiled at the crowd.

"Well, what a turn out!" he said. There was no response from the News Crew or the police. "Honestly, I think we all gained something today! A chance at a New Metrawcity!" he said. "I of course will be taking on the responsibility as your new Overlord! Pretty simple, I bet none of you have any questions?" he said, eyeing the crowd playfully as if to challenge them. "You there!"

The sea of heads turned to find Roxanne, hand raised, walking forward, a look of loathing on her face. "I'm sure we would all like to know what you plan to do with us and this city!" she demanded, glaring at Megamind. Megamind seemed to pause.

"He has no idea what he is doing." Emma said to herself. Megamind put on a false grin, turning around and looking over his shoulder.

"Well, think of the most horrible, terrifying, evil think you can think of…and multiply it by…SIX!" Emma, who had been amused up to this point, quickly was filled with fear. This blue man had murdered Metroman, who else would he kill? He didn't look like a killer, but Emma, as an artist, knew not to judge a person by their exterior. She found herself filled with anger. If she had been braver, she would have run up to Megamind and strangled him until he turned…well, whatever a blue person would change if they couldn't breathe.

"And I will get back to you!" he said. Emma watched as they both entered City Hall and slammed the door. You could still hear them giggling. Emma turned away, suddenly cold and feeling hopeless. The News Crew shut off their cameras. They didn't say anything. Emma was glade they didn't turn them on her, she didn't think she could handle that.

"Emma!" Emma looked to her right, expecting to see Roxanne. But instead, it was Herman. Emma's response was immediate. The moment Herman was close enough; Emma's hand shot out and slapped him across the cheek. The crowd froze, watching Herman's sunglasses go flying. Herman stood, shocked look on his face. Emma just stood there, breathing heavily, then, with all her emotions boiling over, she burst into tears.

Roxanne quickly pushed her way to her and put her arms around Emma's shaking shoulders. Roxanne shot a look at Herman that plainly said, "Look what you've done to her." She hissed. Herman looked down at Emma, who had her face hidden in her hands.

"I…I never meant…" But Roxanne was already leading Emma away.

"It's okay." She said. "You're okay." But even though Roxanne made Emma feel a little safer, she knew that she wasn't okay. She would probably never be okay again.


End file.
